The governor of Washington State has signed a bill to allow interstate marijuana commerce, pending a federal policy change.
The legislation from Sen. Ann Rivers (R) cleared the legislature last month, and Gov. Jay Inslee (D) signed it into law on Thursday.
Before signing the bill, Inslee urged Congress to modernize national marijuana laws, saying that federal legalization “will help our well-regulated cannabis industry remain competitive, while still meeting health and public safety standards.”
He also quipped that Washington State needs a “pony express that goes east to get the message to Washington D.C., so if anybody’s got some fast horses, let’s put them to work here.”
As enacted, the measure will allow the governor to enter into agreement with other legal cannabis states, as soon as there’s federal reform “to allow for the interstate transfer of cannabis” or a federal Justice Department opinion “allowing or tolerating” marijuana commerce across state lines.
With this signing, all three Western coastal states are now positioned to allow instate imports and exports of cannabis. Oregon was the first state to take the step in 2019, followed by California last year.
The Washington bill stipulates that if either of the two federal conditions are met, state
Read full article on Marijuana Moment
